Nepalese presidential election, 2008
Encyclopedia
An indirect
presidential election was held in Nepal
on 19 July 2008 with a presidential run-off on 21 July. The Nepalese Constituent Assembly
(CA) elected in April 2008
elected a new President and Vice-President after the Fifth Amendment to the Interim Constitution was passed on 14 July. This would be the first President to be elected after Nepal became a republic a few months earlier.
In the newly passed amendment, the majority party will form the government, the CA will elect the new President on the basis of majority and a new provision that the Opposition Leader will be a member of the Constitutional Council. The leading political parties, Nepali Congress
, Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist) engaged in discussions regarding who would be the new President. The Nepali Congress wanted Prime Minister and interim Head of State Girija Prasad Koirala
while the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist) wanted its former Secretary-General Madhav Kumar Nepal
as President. However, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) wants an independent figure as President rather than party figures such as Koirala or Nepal. The Maoists won the most seats in the CA, though their party needs to form a coalition government with the other parties.
Negotiations between CPN(Maoist) and CPN(UML) appeared to have broken down by 17 July 2008 so the three major parties all nominated their own candidates for president and vice-president. All three main presidential candidates were Madhesis
. The largest Madhesi party, the MJF, announced that they'd support Singh as president, but nominated their own candidate for vice president.
On the day of the poll the CPN(UML) and MJF agreed to back the NC candidate for the presidency and the CPN(UML) and NC agreed to back the MJF candidate for the vice-presidency, thus nullifying the agreement the Maoists had with the three Madhesi parties.
, the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified) boycotted the election. The sole CA member of the Chure Bhawar Rastriya Ekta Party, Keshav Prasad Mainali
, only participated in the vice-presidential poll.
On 19 July, Parmananda Jha was declared the first Vice President of Nepal
. Jha received 305 votes beating his nearest rival Shanta Shrestha from the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN-M) with 243 votes. However, the President of Nepal
could not be elected as neither candidate got a clear majority. Ram Baran Yadav
received 283 votes and Ram Raja Prasad Singh
won 270 votes. A run-off election was thus called for.
On 21 July, Ram Baran Yadav of the Nepali Congress, who was supported by the CPN (UML) and MJF, got support from around 308 Constituent Assembly members in 594 Constituent Assembly members. His rival was Ram Raja Prasad Singh, nominated by the CPN (M). Prasad won 282 votes. Earlier, during vice-presidential election and first round of presidential elections, Maoists had threatened to refuse to form a government if their choice for the presidency did not succeed as they feared that certain electoral pledges such as land reform would not able to pass. Kul Bahadur Gurung
, the speaker of constituent assembly, declared Ram Yadav winner of second-round presidential election on Monday. Yadav would be the first President of Nepal
after it became a republic. The new President will replace the deposed King Gyanendra as the head of the state.
Presidential election
Source:www.nepalnews.com
Vice-presidential election
Indirect election
Indirect election is a process in which voters in an election don't actually choose between candidates for an office but rather elect persons who will then make the choice. It is one of the oldest form of elections and is still used today for many upper houses and presidents...
presidential election was held in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
on 19 July 2008 with a presidential run-off on 21 July. The Nepalese Constituent Assembly
Nepalese Constituent Assembly
The Nepalese Constituent Assembly is a unicameral body of 601 members formed as a result of the Constituent Assembly election that was held on April 10, 2008. The Constituent Assembly is tasked with writing a new constitution, and it will act as the interim legislature for a term of two years...
(CA) elected in April 2008
Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, 2008
A general election for the Constituent Assembly was held in Nepal on 10 April 2008 after having been postponed from earlier dates of 7 June 2007 and 22 November 2007. The Nepalese Constituent Assembly will draft a new constitution; it will therefore decide, amongst other things, on the issue of...
elected a new President and Vice-President after the Fifth Amendment to the Interim Constitution was passed on 14 July. This would be the first President to be elected after Nepal became a republic a few months earlier.
In the newly passed amendment, the majority party will form the government, the CA will elect the new President on the basis of majority and a new provision that the Opposition Leader will be a member of the Constitutional Council. The leading political parties, Nepali Congress
Nepali Congress
The Nepali Congress is a Nepalese political party. Nepali Congress led the 1950 Democratic Movement which successfully ended the Rana dynasty and allowed commoners to take part in the polity. It again led a democratic movement in 1990, in partnership with leftist forces, to end monarchy and...
, Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist) engaged in discussions regarding who would be the new President. The Nepali Congress wanted Prime Minister and interim Head of State Girija Prasad Koirala
Girija Prasad Koirala
Girija Prasad Koirala was a Nepalese politician and the President of the Nepali Congress, a major political party. He was Prime Minister of Nepal for four times, serving from 1991 to 1994, 1998 to 1999, 2000 to 2001, and from 2006 to 2008; he was also Acting Head of State from January 2007 to July...
while the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist) wanted its former Secretary-General Madhav Kumar Nepal
Madhav Kumar Nepal
Madhav Kumar Nepal is a Nepali politician who was Prime Minister of Nepal from May 25, 2009 until February 6, 2011. He was nominated as a PM through internal arrangements within the current ruling coaliation government of Nepal. Nepal announced his resignation as Prime Minister on June 30, 2010...
as President. However, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) wants an independent figure as President rather than party figures such as Koirala or Nepal. The Maoists won the most seats in the CA, though their party needs to form a coalition government with the other parties.
Organisation of the election
The election is conducted by the Office of the Election Officer (OEO). On 16 July 2008 OEO released a voters list of 593 CA members. The CA was 601 seats in total, but by-elections are due in five constituencies and three CA members had not been sworn in at the time.Candidates
On 9 June 2008, the CPN(Maoist) declared that five names from outside their party they would consider for the presidency:- Sahana PradhanSahana PradhanSahana Pradhan is a Nepalese politician. She hails from a Newar family in Kathmandu. She resigned as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nepal on April 16, 2008....
- Ramraja Prasad Singh
- Nara Bahadur KarmacharyaNara Bahadur KarmacharyaNara Bahadur Karmacharya is a Nepalese communist politician, belonging to Communist Party of Nepal . Karmacharya is one of the most senior political leaders of the communist movement in Nepal being the only surviving founding member of the Communist Party of Nepal, which had been born in...
- Padma Ratna TuladharPadma Ratna TuladharPadma Ratna Tuladhar is a former Nepalese politician and currently a human rights activist. He resides in Kathmandu, Nepal. He played an instrumental role in bringing the Nepalese Maoists to mainstream politics.-References:...
- Devendra Raj Pandey.
Negotiations between CPN(Maoist) and CPN(UML) appeared to have broken down by 17 July 2008 so the three major parties all nominated their own candidates for president and vice-president. All three main presidential candidates were Madhesis
Madhesh
Madhesh is a term given to areas of the Nepali outer Terai or to the outer Terai as a whole inhabited by peoples who are racially, culturally and linguistically related to people on the Indian side of the border. These peoples are referred to or refer to themselves as Madheshi...
. The largest Madhesi party, the MJF, announced that they'd support Singh as president, but nominated their own candidate for vice president.
| Party | Presidential candidate | Vice-presidential candidate |
|---|---|---|
| Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) | Ramraja Prasad Singh | Shanta Shrestha |
| Nepali Congress Nepali Congress The Nepali Congress is a Nepalese political party. Nepali Congress led the 1950 Democratic Movement which successfully ended the Rana dynasty and allowed commoners to take part in the polity. It again led a democratic movement in 1990, in partnership with leftist forces, to end monarchy and... |
Ram Baran Yadav Ram Baran Yadav Dr Ram Baran Yadav is the current President of Nepal. He was elected in July 2008 and is the country's first President. He previously served as Minister of Health and as General Secretary of the Nepali Congress party.... |
Min Bahadur Bishwokarma |
| Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) The Communist Party of Nepal , also known as CPN-UML, CPN, is one of the largest communist parties in Nepal. It was created on January 6, 1991 through the unification of the Communist Party of Nepal and the Communist Party of Nepal... |
Ramprit Paswan | Astha Laxmi Shakya |
| Madhesi Janadhikar Forum | Parmanand Jha Parmanand Jha Parmanand Jha is the current Vice President of Nepal and a former Supreme Court judge. He was born and brought up in Darbhanga, Bihar, India. Jha resigned as a judge in December 2007 after he was not proposed by the Judicial Council as a permanent judge at the apex court, following allegations of... |
On the day of the poll the CPN(UML) and MJF agreed to back the NC candidate for the presidency and the CPN(UML) and NC agreed to back the MJF candidate for the vice-presidency, thus nullifying the agreement the Maoists had with the three Madhesi parties.
Result
578 CA members participated in the poll on 19 July 2008. Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Rastriya JanamorchaRastriya Janamorcha
Rastriya Janamorcha is a political party in Nepal. RJM emerged out of a split in the Janamorcha Nepal in 2006. Initially it retained the name JMN.The organisation is the legal front of the Communist Party of Nepal led by Mohan Bikram Singh....
, the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified) boycotted the election. The sole CA member of the Chure Bhawar Rastriya Ekta Party, Keshav Prasad Mainali
Keshav Prasad Mainali
Keshav Prasad Mainali is a Nepalese politician. He was the chairman of the Chure Bhawar Rastriya Ekta Party Nepal. He joined the Nepal Student Union in the late 1960s. He later became the president of the Nepali Congress Sarlahi District committee. He left the Nepali Congress, and founded the...
, only participated in the vice-presidential poll.
On 19 July, Parmananda Jha was declared the first Vice President of Nepal
Vice President of Nepal
The position of Vice President of Nepal constitutes the deputy head of State of the country of Nepal and was created when the Nepalese monarchy was abolished in May 2008....
. Jha received 305 votes beating his nearest rival Shanta Shrestha from the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN-M) with 243 votes. However, the President of Nepal
President of Nepal
The position of President of Nepal constitutes the head of state of Nepal and was created after the country was declared a republic in May 2008. Girija Prasad Koirala was the first head of state of Nepal elected by the major parties on 19 May 2006. The current head of state of Nepal is President...
could not be elected as neither candidate got a clear majority. Ram Baran Yadav
Ram Baran Yadav
Dr Ram Baran Yadav is the current President of Nepal. He was elected in July 2008 and is the country's first President. He previously served as Minister of Health and as General Secretary of the Nepali Congress party....
received 283 votes and Ram Raja Prasad Singh
Ram Raja Prasad Singh
Ram Raja Prasad Singh is a Nepalese politician. In July 2008, Singh was proposed by the Communist Party of Nepal as their candidate in the first presidential election in the country....
won 270 votes. A run-off election was thus called for.
On 21 July, Ram Baran Yadav of the Nepali Congress, who was supported by the CPN (UML) and MJF, got support from around 308 Constituent Assembly members in 594 Constituent Assembly members. His rival was Ram Raja Prasad Singh, nominated by the CPN (M). Prasad won 282 votes. Earlier, during vice-presidential election and first round of presidential elections, Maoists had threatened to refuse to form a government if their choice for the presidency did not succeed as they feared that certain electoral pledges such as land reform would not able to pass. Kul Bahadur Gurung
Kul Bahadur Gurung
Kul Bahadur Gurung is a Nepalese politician, belonging to the Nepali Congress. Gurung is one of three general secretaries of the party. Gurung had been Minister of Education....
, the speaker of constituent assembly, declared Ram Yadav winner of second-round presidential election on Monday. Yadav would be the first President of Nepal
President of Nepal
The position of President of Nepal constitutes the head of state of Nepal and was created after the country was declared a republic in May 2008. Girija Prasad Koirala was the first head of state of Nepal elected by the major parties on 19 May 2006. The current head of state of Nepal is President...
after it became a republic. The new President will replace the deposed King Gyanendra as the head of the state.
Presidential election
Source:www.nepalnews.com
| Candidate | Parties | Votes (first round) | Votes (second round) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ram Baran Yadav Ram Baran Yadav Dr Ram Baran Yadav is the current President of Nepal. He was elected in July 2008 and is the country's first President. He previously served as Minister of Health and as General Secretary of the Nepali Congress party.... |
Nepali Congress Nepali Congress The Nepali Congress is a Nepalese political party. Nepali Congress led the 1950 Democratic Movement which successfully ended the Rana dynasty and allowed commoners to take part in the polity. It again led a democratic movement in 1990, in partnership with leftist forces, to end monarchy and... Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) The Communist Party of Nepal , also known as CPN-UML, CPN, is one of the largest communist parties in Nepal. It was created on January 6, 1991 through the unification of the Communist Party of Nepal and the Communist Party of Nepal... Madhesi Janadhikar Forum |
283 | 308 |
| Ramraja Prasad Singh | Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) | 270 | 282 |
| Invalid votes | 24 | ||
Vice-presidential election
| Candidate | Parties | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Parmananda Jha | Madhesi Janadhikar Forum Nepali Congress Nepali Congress The Nepali Congress is a Nepalese political party. Nepali Congress led the 1950 Democratic Movement which successfully ended the Rana dynasty and allowed commoners to take part in the polity. It again led a democratic movement in 1990, in partnership with leftist forces, to end monarchy and... Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) The Communist Party of Nepal , also known as CPN-UML, CPN, is one of the largest communist parties in Nepal. It was created on January 6, 1991 through the unification of the Communist Party of Nepal and the Communist Party of Nepal... |
305 |
| Shanta Shrestha | Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) | 243 |